Guidelines: Even though this is a creative assignment, you still must follow proper citation format in your writing. This includes:
maintaining a complete and correctly formated Works Cited. Refer to your handout from Ms. Westfall.
using parenthetical citations appropriately within the body of your story/article/editorial
General Rules of Thumb:
You DO NOT need to cite general information. For example: The 1920s was a decade of general prosperity. This is a common description of the 1920s and does not require a citation.
You DO need to cite information/ideas that might surprise the reader or cause doubt.
You DO need to cite information/ideas that are not your own. This is not limited to direct quotes. You should supply a citation when you use the main idea from another source even if you are paraphrasing.
For example, let's say I'm creating a "What's Hot and What's Not" list for Flappers. I include in the "What's Hot" column, a reference to cigarette smoking. I learned about the prevalence of flappers smoking cigarettes from reading a chapter in Frederick Lewis Allen's Only Yesterday. I would include a parenthetical citation even though I'm not directly quoting.
Another example: I'm writing an editorial on the Scopes Trial. In one paragraph, I argue that the trial was a way for fundamentalists to oppose the changes occurring in American culture during the 1920s. I draw my ideas for this paragraph on information presented in The American Journey. I would provide a parenthetical citation at the end of the paragraph.
Citing Your Stories
Guidelines: Even though this is a creative assignment, you still must follow proper citation format in your writing. This includes:
General Rules of Thumb: